Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Items:
* LARadio.com reports that KNX 1070, which axed the nightly Drama Hour saying it wanted to concentrate on news, has raided KFI for non-news weekend programming. The station has lured Melinda Lee's cooking show for Saturday and Sunday mornings (a $1.5 million, 3-year contract) and Jeff Levy's computer advice show for early afternoons. The Drama Hour is now heard on KSUR 1260 (and irate ex-KNX listeners continue to post comments at the old post here and praise for KSUR here).
* Also, KTLA's Sam Rubin has given up his daily talk slot at KLXS 97.1 (the Howard Stern station). And Don Imus can now be heard locally only on 1050 AM, an Inland Empire station. His L.A. station switched to Spanish language.
* KPCC 89.3 will air the Democratic debate in Iowa today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Gov. Schwarzenegger's State of the State speech at 5 p.m. Both of the NPR station's talk hosts, Larry Mantle and Kitty Felde, will broadcast from Sacramento part of this week. Warren Olney's "Which Way L.A." on KCRW 89.9 advanced the speech Monday (audio here). Also, "Marketplace" will cover the state's budget situation today. The show airs at 2 p.m. on KCRW and 3 p.m. on KPCC.
* Errol Moris is on "The Treatment" with Elvis Mitchell Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. on KCRW.
* Barbara Osborn's "Deadline L.A." on KPFK 90.7 Sunday at 1 p.m. will feature author and former Times writer Miles Corwin. His new book is Homicide Special, about a year spent with the LAPD homicide squad. Corwin, remember, turned up as a player in the Robert Blake case when it was discovered he gained entry to crime scenes. [He did "Good Morning America" today]. Osborn interviewed the Times' Jill Leovy about murders in South L.A. last Sunday.
Radio and TV producers: Use L.A. Observed to alert a couple of thousand media types and other influencers who you are going to have on. Send tips about the next day's show to radio@laobserved.com.